On Friday, two activists were arrested in Bhawanipatna town, allegedly without a warrant or explanation. The arrests are linked to protests against a road project for Vedanta Limited’s proposed Sijimali bauxite mine.
Two activists working with Adivasi and Dalit communities in southern Odisha were arrested in Bhawanipatna town in Kalahandi district on Friday, according to reports. Activist Randall Sequeira and Laxman Naik were taken from Sequeira’s home in Hill Town at around 10.45 pm, allegedly without a warrant or explanation. The police reportedly seized their mobile phones and took them to the Town Police Station. They were kept in custody overnight without access to their lawyers or families before being transferred to Rayagada the following day. The activists were produced before a sub-divisional judicial magistrate at around 6.30 pm and subsequently sent to the Rayagada Sub Jail.
The arrests are linked to protests against a road project for Vedanta Limited’s proposed Sijimali bauxite mine. The residents of the village in Rayagada were opposing the construction of a road from Purlong to Sagabari Ghat, which would provide access to the mine in the ecologically sensitive Sijimali hills. Vedanta secured the bauxite block through an auction in 2023.
Neither Sequeira nor Naik is named in the first information report related to the incident. The case pertains to a clash that occurred in Kantamal on April 6 and 7, when police entered a village in Rayagada to execute a non-bailable arrest warrant against a resident during protests against the road project.
Source:
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